Signalling arrangements for elevators



June 29, 1965 ,s1'u'rz ETAL 3,192,502

SIGNALLING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELEVATORS Filed Nov. 22, 1960 2 She etS-Sheet 2 RELAY4 "ELE-VATOR noon.

.1 .Z I I MENTOR S'I'urz United States Patent Claims priority, application Switzerland, Nov. 25, 1959,

81,146/59 Claims. (Cl. 340-21) The invention relates to signalling arrangements for elevators.

It has been proposed to provide self-service passenger elevation in which illumination lamps of the elevator, and engaged lamps of signalling lamp arrays at the various floors served by the elevators are switched on when a door to the elevator shaft is opened or a foot plate of the elevator car is loaded.

Furthermore, it has been proposed to provide an elevator in which, by operating an elevator summoning member at any floor served by the elevator, the illumination lamp in the elevator and an engaged indicator are rendered operative, whereby a passenger operating the summoning member at a given floor has his attention drawn to the possible presence of the elevator already at that floor, by the illumination. The disadvantage exists, however, that by illumination of the elevator in this manner, it can not be immediately determined whether the elevator is moving from another floor to the summoning floor and the possibility exists that the passenger does not notice the presence of the elevator when already at the summoning floor, and waits further. During such waiting time the elevator might be summoned by another passenger at another floor.

The invention is directed to a signalling arrangement for an elevator, comprising means for signalling the presence of a car of the elevator at any floor served by the elevator, on operation of elevator summoning means at said floor, by periodically opening and closing an elec tric current circuit of illumination means of the said car. Engaged lamps of signalling lamp arrays at the various floors served by the elevator may be arranged in the current circuit of the car illumination means for operation therewith. The signalling means may comprise a contact provided in the current circuit of the illumination means, the contact being periodically opened and closed on operation of the said elevator summoning means.

The opening and closing of the contact may be controlled by a thermal switch connected in parallel with a series of elevator summoning switches forming part of the elevator summoning means. The contact may be a rest contact of a relay, the winding of the relay being connected in series with the parallel connection of the thermal switch and the series of elevator summoning switches.

Alternatively, the contact may be a rest contact of a relay, the winding of the relay being connected in series with a rest contact of a further relay the winding of which is shunted by a delay condenser and arranged in the current circuit to a series of cold cathode discharge tubes allocated to the elevator summoning means at the various floors served by the elevator and to control means in the elevator car, the discharge tubes being arranged for being ignited upon touching by a passenger. The further relay may comprise a further rest contact arranged in the current circuit to the winding of the said further relay in such a manner that on continued touch-' ing of the discharge tube at any given floor served by the elevator when the elevator car is actually present at that floor, current flow through the windings of the first'relay and the further relay is periodically interrupted, whereby the rest contact of said first relay periodically switches on and off the car illuminating means. Rest contact of relays responsive to the direction of travel of the elevator car may be provided in the current circuit of the winding of the said further relay. Rectifier elements may be arranged in series with the winding of the said further relay and the discharge tubes of the elevator car summoning means.

In order to make the invention clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which are given by way of example and in which:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment of a signalling arrangement for an elevator, and

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a further embodiment of a signalling arrangement for an elevator.

in the circuit diagram of FIG. 1, positive and negative terminals in a D.C. source are indicated respectively by and Contacts '1 of the elevator shaft doors and a contact 2 for the movement control of the elevator car are connected to the negative terminal. Contact 2 is arranged to open as soon as the elevator commences to move and remains open until a short time after the car has come to rest. A contact operable by a movable footplate of the car (not shown) is indicated by reference numeral 3, the contact 3 being closed only when the iloor of the elevator is in an unloaded condition. A relay 4 having a rest contact 4.1 is provided, and relays 5 and 6 are provided which are respectively responsive to upwards and downwards travel of the car and have oppositely serially connected locking contacts 5.11 and 6.1. A plurality of floor selecting press contacts 21 to Zn are provided in the car and a plurality of car summoning press contacts 31 to Snare provided at the various floors served by the elevator. The contacts 31 to 311 are arranged in series with the contact 2. A thermal contact 7 is connected in parallel with the series of press contacts 31 to Sit, and the contact '7 comprises a heater winding provided on a bimetallic strip forming a contact spring. The contact '7 and the heater winding are connected directly in series, the bimetallic strip being so arranged that the contact is opened on. heating of the strip. Thus when a voltage is applied to the contact '7 the contact is periodically opened and closed.

Floor relays are indicated by reference numerals 41 and 4n, each relay having a self holding contact 41.1 to 41.11 respectively. Floor switches are indicated by reference numerals 51 to 511, which may be provided in the shaft or on a motion copying mechanism provided. Lamps at indicating array at the various floors served by the elevator for indicating engaged, are indicated by reference numerals 61 to 6n. Elevator illumination means are indicated by reference numeral 8, and are connected to the D.C. supply. of course, for the illumination means a different source of potential may be provided.

The arrangement operates as follows:

On switching on the D.C. supply source, the relay 4 is energized over the series connection of closed contacts 1, 2,21 to Zn, 3 and 31 to 3n and by its contact 4.1 interrupts the circuit to the car illumination means 8 and engaged lamps 61 to 611. On opening of a shaft door, or on occupation of the car by a passenger, one of the contacts 1 or the contact 3 is opened whereupon the relay 4 relapses and closes the current circuit to the illumination means 8 by its rest contact 4.1. An analogous operation takes place during movement of the elevator, upon opening of the contact 2.

Assume now that the car is at rest at the second floor and a passenger at the second floor operates the car summoning press switch 32 (which is located on the second floor). By operation of the press switch 32 no movement of the car is initiated, since the floor switch 52 (allocated to the second floor) is thus in its center position. Consequently, contact 2 remains closed, and in spite Patented June 29, 1965 of the interruption in the press switch 32 the relay 4 remains energized over contact 2, press switches 21 or Zn in the car, footplate contact 3 and thermal contact '7. By the current flow, the heater winding of the thermal contact 7 is heated and the contact is opened, whereby the relay 4 relapses and by its rest contact 4.1 again restores the car illumination. The thermal contact 7 then opens and closes in a periodic manner, causing the relay 4- to periodically attract and relapse. Thus by the rest contact 4.1 of the relay 4, the car illumination means 8 and the engaged lamps are switched on and off in a blinking manner. In this way the existing presence of the car at the summoning floor is signalled to the waiting passenger.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 is partly similar to that of FIG. 1, and circuit elements already present in FIG. 1 have been given the same reference numerals in FIG.

A plurality of cold cathode discharge tubes 71 to 711 arranged for hand capacitive control are provided in the car. Similar cold cathode discharge tubes 81 to 8n are provided at the various floors served by the elevator, for summoning the car. The use of cold cathode discharge tubes as manually operable control means is known per se and is not considered to need further explanation here.

Rectifier elements are indicated by reference numerals 91 to 9m. Travel direction relays 5 and 6 with rest contacts 5.2 and 6.2 respectively are provided, and furthermore a relay 9 having two rest contacts 9.1 and 92 is provided, the winding of the relay 9 being shunted by a delay condenser 10.

The arrangement of FIG. 2 operates as follows:

On switching on the DC. supply source the relay 4 over the series connection of the closed contacts 1, 3, 2 and 9.2 and by its contact 4.1 interrupts the circuit to the car illumination means 8. On opening of a shaft door or on occupation of the car by a passenger or on commencement of movement of the car, and then by interruption of one of the contacts 1, 3 or 2; respectively, the relay 4 is caused to relapse whereby by means of the contact 4.1 the car illumination means 3 is switched on.

If, for example at the third floor, a passenger touches the discharge tube 83, then by the aid of the capacitive eiiect of the touching, the tube is ignited. Ignition of the tube 83 causes the upwards travel direction relay 6 to attract by energization thereof through a circuit comprising the fioor switches 53 and 5?: and the locking contact 5.1 of relay 5. During the car journey the relay 9 is kept inoperative by the contact 6.2 of the relay 6.

Assume now that the car is at rest at the second floor and a passenger at the same floor touches a contact ole-- ment of the car summoning means at that floor, so that the cold cathode tube 32 is ignited. Since the car is already at the summoning floor, the fioor switch 52 is in its central position and neither of the travel direction relays 5 or 6 can be energized. Thus on ignition of the tube 82 the following current circuit is completed; positive terminal of the supply, relay 9, rest contact 9.1, rest contacts 6.2 and 5.2, rectifier element @2, cold cathode tube 82, contacts 3 and l, and the negative terminal of the supply. Consequently relay 9' attracts and by its rest contact 9.1 interrupts the circuit just referred to, extinguishing the cold cathode tube 82. The condenser itl, by its storage effect has a delaying action on the relapsing of the relay i On continued touching of the tube 8?; by the waiting passenger, the relay 9 thus periodically attracts and relapses, the periodic action of the relay 9 being transferred by the contact 9.2 to the relay which by its rest contact 4.1 switches the illumination current circuit on and oil, thus blinking the car illuminating means 8.

Of course, as well as the blinking arrangements described above, additional blinking arrangements known per so may be used.

Furthermore, the arrangement may be such that only 4% part of the illuminating means current circuit, for example only the car illumination lamps or only the engaged lamps of signalling lamp arrays at the floors served by the elevator are blinlcingly switched on upon actuation of car summoning means by a passenger when the car is actually present at the summoning floor.

What we claim is:

l. A signalling arrangement for an elevator having a car adapted for movement between floors, said arrangement comprising: means on each floor for summoning the car to the respective floor, illumination means in said car and visible from outside said car at each of the floors, and means operatively coupled to both said means for periodically energizing the illumination means to cause flashing thereof as said means for summoning the car is energized at one of said floors and said car is located at said one floor and is empty when summoned.

2. A signalling arrangement as claimed in claim 1 comprising signaling lamp arrays at said floors and coupled to the illumination means for operation therewith.

3. A signalling arrangement for an elector having a car adapted for movement between iloors, said arrangement comprising: means at each floor for summoning the car to the respective floor, visible illumination means at each of said floors and means operatively coupled to both aforesaid means for periodically energizing the illumination means at a respective floor, to cause flashing of the illumination means thereat upon actuation of the means for summoning the car at the associated floor when the car of the elevator is located at the latter floor when summoned.

A signalling arrangement for an elevator having a car adapted for movement between floors, said arrange ment comprising: a source of electrical energy, means at each door for summoning the car to the respective floor, illumination means visible at each of the floors from a location outside of the car, a relay, said relay having a contact connected between the illumination means and the source of electrical energy, said relay having a winding, a thermal switch connected in parallel with the means for summoning the car and in series with the winding of the relay for periodically energizing the relay and thereby the illumination means to cause flashing thereof as said means for summoning the car at one of the floors is en ergized only when said car is located at said one floor when summoned.

5. A signalling arrangement for an elevator having a car adapted for movement between floors, said arrange ment comprising: a source of electrical energy, means at each floor for summoning the car to the respective floor and including a cold cathode discharge tube operative upon contact, illumination means visible at each of the floors from a location outside of the car, a relay having a winding and a contact, said contact being connected between the illumination means and the source of electrical energy, a further relay having a winding and a contact, the latter contact being in series connection with the winding of the first said relay, a delay condenser shunting the winding of the further relay, the latter Winding being connected to the cold cathode discharge tubes for periodically energizing the winding of the first mentioned relay and thereby of the illumination means to cause flashing thereof as the means at one of the floors and the cathode tube thereat is energized only when the car is located at said one floor when summoned.

6. A signalling arrangement as claimed in claim 5 wherein the further relay comprises a further contact arranged in the current circuit to the winding of the said further relay such that continued contact of the discharge tube at any floor when the car is present at the floor causes current fiow through the windings of the first relay and the further relay to be periodically interrupted, whereby the rest contact of said first relay periodically energizes the illumination means.

7. A signalling arrangement as claimed in claim 5 comprising contacts of relays responsive to the direction of travel of the car in the current circuit of the winding of the said further relay.

8. A signalling arrangement as claimed in claim 5 comprising rectifier elements arranged in series with the winding of the said further relay and the discharge tubes of the means for summoning the car.

9. A signalling arrangement for an elevator having a car adapted for movement between floors, said arrangement comprising: means on each floor for summoning the car to the respective floor, illumination means in said car and visible from outside said car at each of the floors, and means operatively coupled to both said means for periodically energizing the illumination means to cause flashing thereof as said means for summoning the car is energized at one of said floors only when said car is located at said one floor and is empty when summoned.

10. A signalling arrangement for an elevator having a car adapted for movement between floors, said arrangement comprising: means at each floor for summoning the car to the respective floor, visible illumination means at each of said floors and means operatively coupled to both aforesaid means for periodically energizing the illumination means at a respective floor, to cause flashing of the illumination means thereat upon actuation of the means for summoning the car at the associated floor only when the car of the elevator is located at the latter floor when summoned.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,071,820 2/37 Eames 340--19 2,525,769 10/ Bruns 340366 2,741,755 4/51 Galanty 34021 2,924,817 2/60 Dawkins et a1. 340-377 3,030,607 4/62 Wagner 340-19 XR 3,040,295 6/62 Linville 340-19 NEIL C. READ, Primary Examiner.

E. JAMES SAX, THOMAS B. HABECKER, Examiners. 

1. A SIGNALLING ARRANGEMENT FOR AN ELEVATOR HAVING A CAR ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN FLOORS, SAID ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING: MEANS ON EACH FLOOR FOR SUMMONING THE CAR TO THE RESPECTIVE FLOOR, ILLUMINATION MEANS IN SAID CAR AND VISIBLE FROM OUTSIDE SAID CAR AT EACH OF THE FLOORS, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY COUPLED TO BOTH SAID MEANS FOR PERIODICALLY ENERGIZING THE ILLUMINATION MEANS TO CAUSE FLASHING THEREOF AS SAID MEANS FOR SUMMONING THE CAR IS 